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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · kid · roll · lash · craft · lean · toast · bark

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. kid — child
  3. toast — bread
  4. lean — to bend
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. clip — a video
  7. kid — to tease
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — boats
  10. roll — a cake
  11. clip — for paper
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. roll — a list
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lean — thin
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. craft — a skill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com